


Fetch Quest

by zarinthel



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:22:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21831364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarinthel/pseuds/zarinthel
Summary: The Warrior of Light has gone missing.. looks like it's up to Thancred to accept the fetch quest this time around!Set during the move into the Rising Stones, post ARR.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters
Comments: 11
Kudos: 43





	1. Quest One: A Rose That Blooms in the Desert

**Author's Note:**

> This work stars my wol, Valerian Caligorne. I'd recommend reading my other work, Bardic Inspiration, for some context on his and Thancred's interactions, but this work is fine as a standalone.

“Tataru? Have you seen Valerian? I have just a small thing I’d like to ask him about, but I haven’t seen him anywhere.” Minfilia hovered around Tataru’s desk as she watched the bustle of people moving the Scion’s various possessions from the Waking Sand, preparing them for the long trek to Mor Dhona. 

Tataru’s arms flew up in surprise, then hastily fell back down again as she scrambled to keep a hold of her dangerously tipping inkwell. 

“Minfilia!! I didn’t see you there. Ah... as it happens, Valerian was here.. Yesterday! He asked me if I needed anything so I..” Tataru’s eyes widened. “So I sent him to Ul’dah, to pick up something for me! I didn’t know you needed him, I can linkshell him right away--”

“Tataru...” Minfilia smiled helplessly at her excitable retainer. “It’s not that, I just.. Felt something. If Valerian’s fine, then it must be something else... I’m glad. Just tell him to come by me when he’s back, okay? I want to know if he felt the same thing.” 

“I can ask him that right now!” 

Before Minfilia could stop her, Tataru tapped on her own linkpearl. 

“Valerian? It’s me, Tataru! Can you hear me?”

There was a small pause, and Tataru’s expression grew puzzled, a vast difference than the relieved smile she usually wore when speaking to the Warrior of Light. 

“Valerian?” The lalafel’s hand fell from her ear, and she shook her head. 

“What’s wrong? Tell him the Scions will attend to him with all haste!” Minfilia felt her unease well up, gnawing within her stomach. 

“He’s not answering.” 

“Who’s not answering?” Thancred’s smooth tones echoed from the bottom of the stairway as he made his way up, the extra effort he used to keep his gait smooth instead making Minfilia desperate to call yet another healer to stay by his side. 

Minfilia made a hasty motion to cut Tataru off, but-

“It’s Valerian! Oh no...” Tataru clamped her own hands over her mouth and danced back and forth. 

It was too late. 

“Valerian?” Thancred was still attempting to conceal the genuine shake in his voice that came from so much abuse of his vocal chords from producing a voice not fit for his throat. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Minfilia said firmly. “Thancred, aren’t you supposed to be..”

“I’ve been pronounced well enough to be up and about, so they say,” Thancred said.

Minfilia doubted they’d said it like that. 

Tataru looked back and forth between Thancred and Minfilia, still clearly distressed. 

“How could he have gone missing in the middle of Ul’dah? He should be safe there, he knows tons of people! From beggars to the Sultana, he’s the type of person who has friends everywhere!”

“He’s also the type to have enemies everywhere, unfortunately.” Thancred voiced Minfilia’s own fears, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. “And... I expect that I have many _friends_ in Ul’dah that Valerian does not....” 

“Thancred..” Minfilia knew what he was getting at. “You still aren’t fully recovered.” 

“And I doubt Valerian was either, no matter what kind of front he puts up. I can perform a simple search for information, Minfilia. Please.” 

She had always been terrible at refusing Thancred, especially when he looked at her with such firm resolve in his eyes. 

“Just.. be careful. Check in.” 

Thancred smiled, drawing his hand across his chest so that he could properly bow. “Of course, my lady.” 

Minfilia sighed, then put on her own smile. 

“Be careful not to offend any of your friends, Thancred. I expect they’ll want an explanation for the lack of flowers.”

It was good to leave on a note of laughter, as Thancred’s eyes widened in a preemptive wince.   
___________________

Thancred could have used his own linkshell to call up his many friends and acquaintances in Ul’dah, but.. He was sick of the Waking Sands. Though he took his own health very seriously, especially in that his overworking was used as a weakness to exploit him and his knowledge against the people he wanted to protect, killing and wounding both countless friends of his and countless people who he would never know. 

He’d taken a chocobo through Western Thanalan, taking a moment to just breathe in the sun. It felt a bit like taking a feather duster to the mantle over his soul, just giving it a tap to let it know he’s been back after a long... vacation. He was intent on reclaiming his soul that Valerian had so kindly taken back for him. Thancred hated waste, after all. 

The Eighty Sins of Sasamo led him to the same place where he’d first entered Ul’dah, only five years ago. The dust was the same, the harsh winds and the disdain of the brass blades, who kept one hand on their swords and the other out to accept bribes. 

One of them swaggered out from his position at the gate to meet him. 

“And what’s your business around town, _Scion_ ,” Well, that was new. Thancred really needed to get back into the loop of what was going on in this fair, poisonous city. “Come to cause us some more uproar? We charge a repair fee for that type of trouble, you know.”

Typical. 

Thancred tucked his hands in his pockets, feeling the comfort of the weighted steel he always carried with him. 

“Gentlemen, there seems to be a misunderstanding. Instead of official business, I’m just here to check in on some friends of mine.” Thancred allowed his voice to linger on friends, throwing in a wink for good measure. Sometimes you didn’t need to be subtle. “It’s been so long, I fear they’ve forgotten all about me! And a bard really can’t be having that.”   
Right on cue, a squeal burst out from behind the guard. 

“ _Than_ cred!” A spritely Miqo'te lass sprinted up to meet him. She pouted, crossing her arms and stomping her foot. “It’s been months, and you didn’t call, you didn’t send any letters...”

The brass blade guffawed, retracting his hand as he stepped back. 

“Looks like you’ve already got plenty of friends waiting to guy ya, Scion,” He said, cheerful. “If I find your gutted corpse in a back alley, then I guess I’ll know what to put on the gravestone!” He chortled, moving back to his station to let the pair of them pass into the beautiful, corrupt city of Ul’dah. 

“Did I do it right?” The girl bounced up and down, beaming at Thancred, anger easily banished from her face. “I’ve never had a jealous fight before, but that was so much fun! Oh, I’ll be so happy when you get a _real_ partner, I can't imagine how much fun it would be to do this with a proper counterpart!” 

Thancred didn’t want to imagine that. 

“M’xhonla..”

“Oh I know, I know, the Warrior of Light isn’t that type of person.” She pouted, twirling a bit of her red hair around her clawed fingers. “Just let me have my fun, alright? I missed you, you know?” 

What did Valerian have to do with this conversation? But it was as good of a conversational opener as he was ever going to get, so he went with it. 

“Speaking of Valerian, I’d been meaning to ask you--”

“Where he went?” M’xhonla beamed. “No idea! I only even learned he’d been here when he dropped by the market place to pick up some tea leaves and spices! Which is strange, because I was talking to this merchant who knows a person who knows a person who supplies the Warrior’s preferred merchant, and they had thought he didn’t even like tea! It’s a mystery. But.. it seems they were out of the brand he was looking for, so he went to get it from the source. Literally. The merchant is tight lipped about where he gets his stock from, though. So he refuses to tell anyone except our glorious hero where he even got it from in the first place.”

She paused for breath, finally. 

“So that’s the news! But what have you been up to, Thancred? I never even got flowers...” 

Thancred dipped into a low bow, kissing her ring finger and using sleight of hand to conjure a deep red rose into her empty palm. 

“It’s not every day I get to meet someone as stunning, beautiful, and good natured as you,” he assured her, laying the charm on thick. “Really, do you think you could be so kind as to let me escort you to the markets? I fear being alone in such a bustling city, and would feel so much better in the company of a lovely young maid.” 

He ignored any truth in his own lies. 

If he yearned for someone strong enough to lean against... it was his duty as a Scion to be that person, as it was for all of them their duty to hold up the world. He had to be strong enough. There was no other choice. 

Thancred attracted many gazes as he made his way to the Sapphire Avenue Exchange, picking up another lovely companion as he strolled down the decorated shops. M’xhonla eventually left him, waving goodbye as she dragged her newer companion along with her. The young daughter of an up and coming Cerulean speculator, it seemed like? She’d be good to keep in touch with. 

Making a mental note, Thancred turned to face one of the most informed men in all of Ul’dah-- Synegote, who manned his stall at the Sapphire Exchange, and had such a large ear for gossip that Thancred had no doubt he could pick out individual price points from all up and down the extremely long mercantile exchange. 

“Ah, Thancred, my boy.” The sharp eyed merchant gave him a once over, gaze catching on the leaner stretch of his skin over his cheekbones. Why did he need to look in a mirror at all, when he could just come to Ul’dah to see his own flaws reflected in these eyes? “It’s been a while.” He moved on before Thancred could muster up the will to give another explanation. “It’s the Warrior of Light you’re after, I take it? Don’t explain, I never want to hear a single word more about you two.”

Huh?

“I’m not telling you where he’s gone, either. Trade secret, you know how it is.” 

Sometimes, Thancred wondered why he had missed this city. 

“It’s rather important that I be able to contact him,” Thancred pointed out dryly, hoping his new reputation of being a Scion would work in his favour for once. 

Synegote snorted. 

“Well you’re shit out of luck then, boy. Where he’s at right now, I doubt a Garlean spacecraft could get a signal.” 

That relieved one worry, while creating a whole host of new ones. 

Not that he wasn’t used to that. It felt almost good.. To be able to speak, to walk, to laugh--

“You’ve been _most_ helpful,” Thancred assured the smiling merchant. “I take my leave of you,”

“Now you’re just making me feel guilty, Scion. I do what I can to help the saviors of the realm, as long as it doesn’t affect the bottom line. Tell you what, I do know someone who might be a wee bit more helpful than me. Why don’t you go talk to the retainer vocate? The Warrior of Light usually manages to be in contact with that brat of a retainer of his even when he forgets to tell anyone else where he’s off too.” 

Thancred bit back his instinctual response to question why Synegote didn’t start with that. He was a merchant of Ul’dah, after all. It wouldn’t do to ask such a strange question. He couldn’t afford to go back to being seen as an outsider to Ul’dah’s politics, a foreigner to it’s downtrodden underbelly. 

“Thank you for your understanding.” He slipped 1000 gil to the merchant who nodded, satisfied with the transaction. “Any time, any time.” 

The retainer vocate, was it? Thancred had never hired a retainer for himself, even though Minfilia had told him repeatedly it was more than allowed for him to do so. It just.. Wasn’t his style. He hadn’t thought it was Valerian’s style either, but apparently he was quite wrong on that count. 

He pressed his hands against the desk as he leaned forward, readying his best smile for the firm looking lalafell manning the vocate’s booth. 

“Chachabi, is it? What a pretty name for such a pretty rose.” 

She blushed a little, but remained firm. 

“I’m sorry, Scion. I can’t give out personal information like that, even if you are a friend of the man in question. What retainers do when their off duty is their personal business, and not anything I’m permitted to disclose.” 

Thancred draped a loose hand across his chest, and put on his best pair of begging eyes. 

“Think of it as a _personal_ favor, my lady. I assure you, I can make it worth your while.” 

Something about that made her burst into a fit of laughter that shook her whole tiny frame. 

“Yeah.. I just bet you will. Since you’re taken now, and all.” 

_What?_

“What?” 

Noticing the confusion in his eyes, she took a short break from her laughter to gift him with a pitying gaze. Something about getting that look from a lalafell just made it much, much worse.

“Hm. I guess I can tell you.. Just this once.” She was still giggling as she motioned for him to kneel down so she could whisper in his ear. “His retainer’s favourite bar is...”


	2. Quest Two: Secret Keeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thancred meets some new faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little more context on Val: he's min height for an elezen.

Buscarron’s Druthers was a shithole of a bar if Thancred had ever seen one, and it being stuck right in the middle of the godsdamned Twelveswood didn’t improve it one bit. He’d done some research before making his way here, of course, but it was just strange for an ex-guardsman to run a bar whose clientele ran from disreputable adventurers down to the dregs of the local bandits and poachers. How was this place still running and why had Valerian hired someone who was so fond of it?

Thancred leaned further into the shadows of his seat at the edge of the bar as his eyes were drawn to the very man he’d come here to see. Yuhla’zi Khova, a young miqo’te who Thancred doubted was more than a year past twenty, held loud and cheerful court at the center table, his cup never far from empty before the smiling barmaid filled it back up again. Nothing about Yuhla’zi seemed dangerous-- he had fluffy white hair, and a fluffed white tail, and red eyes that sparked with mischief. However, none of the various ruffians in the bar had so much as laid an eye on his wallet, much less made any threatening moves. Thancred leaned in so that he could more clearly hear the conversation. 

“And then he went _'whoosh, BAM!'_ Yuhla’zi smacked the table with the butt of his cup as he made more wild gestures with his free hand. “He stopped those Amalj'aa dead in their tracks! And he turned to me and said ‘Yuhla’zi, you know what to do.’ So I--”

As Thancred continues to listen, the young miqo’te continues to speak of many, many other small adventurers he’d had at Valerian’s side, each overblown story of a small capture of a pickpocket or just a hunt through the local wildlife bringing raucous cheers and applause, as well as something a bit...stranger. 

“That’s our Val! Little bastard made it!”

“He gets that from the Guisusaux side, you know. My cousin’s step dad is a Guisusaux, same ears and everything. Hey, do you think I could head to Ul’dah..”

“Piss off, Varrix. You need to like, study to be a thaumaturge. Go and lick the Hearer’s boots, make your mom happy.”

“Oh, bugger off. Come on, Yuhla’zi! Let’s hear another!” 

Thancred was extremely unfamiliar with this type of sprawling, extensive network of people who were all... related? To one another. Growing up as an orphan, he’d had no idea that such a thing was even possible. And yet.. He was pretty sure that Valerian wasn’t from the Shroud. So, what was going on?

He continued to watch and listen as the hours passed, and most of the bar crowd dispersed, leaving only Buscarron himself to tend the bar, and Yuhla’zi to snooze among piles and piles of empty bottles. Only one other elezen remained at the bar, sipping at his drink and watching Thancred with cold eyes that stared out of his worn hood. 

So the bar did have a protector... of a sort. Deciding he’d get no answers from that quarter, Thancred picked a better option. The good old barkeep himself. Ambling over, Thancred prepared his best smile for the aged elezen. 

“You’d be looking for the hero of the hour, then?” Buscarron speaks up before he can voice another word. “Sorry, son. Valerian may be a bit of hometown hero around these parts, but he doesn’t drop by too often. Better luck in Ul’dah, I hear.” 

What?

“Hometown?” Thancred repeats, letting enough puzzlement slip through to read as distant but genuine. “I didn’t know he was from around here.” 

Buscarron’s gaze goes a bit colder. 

“Followed the boy, did you. Well, I don’t hold curiosity against folks. And people who are looking for Valerian usually need him, so I won’t beat around the bush. He’s not here.”

Disappointment fills Thancred. He’s had state criminals be easier to track than the very savior of Eorzea. He must be losing even more of his touch than he’d thought. 

“I’m a friend of his,” Thancred says, trying to wheedle a better answer out of the man. 

The other elezen at the bar cracks up, dissolving into a wheezing laugh.

“Aren’t we all! Aren’t we all. That lad’s helped probably everyone in this bar tonight, or if not them, then their mom, their cousin, their uncle from across the waters. He’s a hero to the duskwight, stranger. And he never forgets his roots.” 

Thancred has always been aware that no matter where Valerian goes, he always stands out like a sore thumb, his deep blue skin always setting him apart. But it never... it’s never seemed to bother Valerian. 

Of course, nothing ever seems to phase Valerian, so that’s probably more a failure on his part to see through the confidence which is Valerian’s staff and shield. 

“I see,” says Thancred, even though he doesn’t. “Pardon me for wasting your time, then.” He makes to bow, when he hears a cough from behind him.   
Yulah’zi has woken from his stupor, and waves at Thancred with a bit of a cocky grin. 

“Looking for me, Scion?” 

The miqo'te's ears twitch as he attempts to ignore what must be a truly impressive amount of alcohol. 

At the word Scion, both Buscarron and his guard’s heads snap in Thancred’s direction. 

“In fact,” Thancred says, “I am.” 

“Aww, but you're a little too old for me!” 

After killing Thancred with one blow, Yulah’zi laughs to himself and staggers to his feet. “I jest, I jest. You’re looking for Val, right?” 

Thancred opens his mouth, closes it, and nods. 

“Right, right. Well, not right, because that’s not good. But right that you’re looking for him! Don’t worry though, I know someone who can always track him down. She’s the best at Val-tracking! One hundred percent guarantee, or 99% if you want a discount. And she was telling me she wants to meet you! Perfect, perfect. Okay!” 

Yulah’zi appears to think he’s looking directly at Thancred, but his eyes have missed by a couple of yalms to the left. 

“You know Thanalan, right. Eastern Thanalan, just past the Rootslake. Val showed me where she lived, though I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. But she said, you can tell whoever, it’s fine! It’s fine. Hah. Scary lady. She’s right--”

Yulah’zi collapses again, beginning to snore on the floor.

“A Scion?” Buscarron repeats. “Well, why didn’t you say so. Siadiane is always hoping to meet Valerian’s... friends.” 

Thancred’s mind whirls. Valerian has a girlfriend? That he’s never mentioned? Well that makes Thancred’s meager attempts at flirting.. More than a little embarrassing. Gods, what must Valerian be thinking-- 

“Don’t be listening to the boy’s directions, now. Siadiane’s never spent any time in that house of hers, she’s always busy. Just like young Valerian now, heh. Go to High Bridge, tell them that I sent you. She’ll be there, like as not. And she can tell you where he is, I guarantee it.”

Buscarron hesitates. 

“Good luck, Scion... and thank you. Thank you for giving Valerian the chance to make a difference.”


	3. Quest Three: Lovely Lady of the Valley

The High Bridge in Eastern Thanalan was under attack by qirin bandits when Thancred’s chocobo finished its cheerful jaunt all the way from the Rootslake. He jumped off, pulling his knives to join the fray, when he heard a loud scream coming from one of the beastmen. 

“It’s her! Its Red its Red its Red--” 

They actually parted around him as they started running back to their camps in the hills, startling Thancred quite a lot. He didn’t let it show, carefully tucking his blades away as the ‘Red’ in question came storming out of High Bridge. 

Or at least, who he assumed this ‘Red’ was. She was a tall duskwight elezen, her skin an ashen grey instead Valerian’s deep blue. Her white hair was half loose, half bound in coiled braids, and her eyes were a dull scarlet, narrowed with vague disdain and annoyance that deepened her crow’s feet as she watched the qirin run. Her bow was loosely knocked in her hand, the arrow’s tip dripping with poison. A deep scar ran directly across her throat, up her jaw and across her cheek, ending right under her right eye. 

“Checking me out, boy?” 

Her voice was a hoarse croak, still clearly flavoured with the accent of South Shroud. She made no move to put the bow down. 

Thancred spread his hands, attempting to appear as harmless as possible. 

“I couldn’t help but be overcome with admiration, miss... ?” 

Her laughter was even harsher than her voice. 

“Nosy little bugger, aren’t ya. Well, never let it be said that I would say no to a pretty face. Ha! That’s Miss Caligaux to you, it is. Miss Caligaux! That sounds like a fucking respectable name, if I don’t say so myself. And I do!” 

She went back to laughing. 

_Caligaux!?_

As far as Thancred knew, Valerian’s last name was Caligorne. Was this woman... 

“But enough about me,” Caligaux continues, sides still heaving with merriment. Her eyes narrow. “I hear that some handsome Hyur was all around ol’ Buscarron’s, being a regular anteater in a dirt hill, except with less tongue. Now I know that can’t be you, because you’re far too delicate around the eyes, but maybe my aunt’s kids have all just gone blind. Wouldn’t be the first time, they don’t much like the surface.” 

Scary lady. 

“However.” Caligaux crossed her arms, giving Thancred another once over. “It would be a different story entirely if my cute son’s new friend had come to visit the ol’ hag of the bridge. Maybe he’s brought a present, you never know.” 

The strange sinking in his stomach that Thancred had experienced when he thought he was looking for Valerian’s reclusive girlfriend is replaced by a sudden jolt of pure terror. This is.. Is this Valerian’s _mother_?

Gods, what do mothers want? The only other one he’s ever known for longer than a conversation or so is F’Lhaminn. And this lady... doesn’t seem like she has a lot of overlapping taste. 

Thancred drops into a courtesy bow anyway. 

“Though I myself am just a traveling scholar, unable to offer anything but the humblest of tokens, perhaps I could offer a somewhat unusual tale as tribute for the lovely lady?” 

“Matron’s tits, Val found himself a fucking poet. Well, I should have known! Ha! Should have known. Never settled for the sun when he could have the stars, that’s my boy. Sends me a letter saying he’s joining a shady organization and I’m like, what the fuck was the point of changing your last name, then? Invalidating my hard work?” 

She gives Thancred a friendly whack on the shoulder while he stares at her, dazed. 

“Come with me, boy. We’ve got a lot to talk about. Ha!” 

Siadiane Caligaux’s home is made of simple baked brick, tucked away behind Thal’s Respite. It’s cupboards and closets are dusty and vaguely empty, as if not even she lives here most of the time. 

With a sinking feeling, Thancred searches through all his conversations with Valerian to see if he’s ever mentioned his mother. Much like the rest of the Scions, Valerian never gives personal information without first being pressed, so... 

“Miss Caligaux,” He starts. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” 

“It’s Siadiane, _Siadiane_.” She pours what might be water into a cracked clay mug and takes a deep gulp. “So you’re Thancred, right.” She squints at him. “Thancred Waters. That’s an orphan’s name if I’ve ever heard one.” 

Something cold settles in Thancred’s gut. 

He smiles at her. 

“Ha! An orphan’s name and a thief’s smile. Well, Valerian certainly can pick them. Cute, cute, I like it.” 

She.. what?

“Thancred. You must be here looking for my precious son. He’s been sending me letters about you, he was really worried, said that he thought that someone had kidnapped you or something. But you seem to be un-kidnapped, so little Val must have come through, the way he always does.” 

She clanks another chipped glass in front of him. 

“I don’t have much hospitality here, sorry ta say. I’m a caravan guide, work the line from the Shroud all the way to Drybone, have for most of Val’s life. Never here for long, so he’s used to people that come and go. I wouldn’t recommend doing that to him too much though, or I’ll kill you. Ha!” 

It was difficult to get a word in edgewise. 

“Miss Siadiane, I actually came because--”

“Boys gone missing again.” She nods. “That’s why I’m back here, too. He sometimes comes here, when he’s trapped in the shadows, can’t see the sun for the dark behind his eyes. But not today. Not yesterday. Don’t worry, I know where he is. But I’ve got a caravan again, can’t halt the trade just to cheer him up. That’s what you’re for, yes?” 

She points to the window behind Thancred. 

“You know the church. The one with the lichyard, where everyone’s dead overflows from the ground? We buried our dead there for the Calamity, and then I hear he buried more of his friends there from your little group, and then he’s gone back and gone back, to help the Father out. You know how he is.” 

Thancred can’t tear his gaze away from the distant church. 

“He used to tell me that from the church, you could see all the way from our house to Ul’dah. He loves it there, or maybe he hates it there. But either way, he is there.” 

Her voice, hoarse and damaged, sounds just like Valerian’s. Calm, patient, certain. Kind. 

“The world’s been rough on him,” she says. “But it’s also been rough on you, Thancred Waters. No one likes when their fall is broken by their friends. Listen to him, when he speaks. Speak to him, knowing that he listens. Never assume he knows obvious things, or that he’s missed hidden cues. His favorite type of cookies are chocolate chip. His favorite color is purple. His favorite flowers are Oldroses and lilies. He likes dark chocolate.” 

Wait, what was she-- 

Siadiane pushes him out of her house and shuts the door. 

“Give him a kiss from me!” 

Wait.... wait. Thancred’s mind whirled with new questions. Valerian didn’t have a girlfriend, clearly. Valerian had _changed his last name_? Valerian liked chocolate?


	4. Quest Five: Young Man on a Precipice

Thancred finds Valerian at the lichyard, sitting with his legs dangling off the edge next to a weathered gravestone. 

Siadiane was right. You can see all of Thanalan from there. 

Thancred can see the bundle of Nymeia Lilies that Valerian has left beside the grave. The name itself, however, is unfamiliar. 

“Did you..know them?” Thancred asks after a significant pause, realizing that Valerian isn’t going to greet him. 

“Oh, hi Thancred,” Valerian says, turning to meet his eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there. No, I didn’t know her..not really.” He pats the dirt beside him, motioning for Thancred to take a seat. “When I first started out adventuring-- ah, that is, before you recruited me into the Scions-- I helped out with a couple of places. I think I first met her.... Preparing to challenge Satasha. Wow, that seems so long ago.” 

Thancred makes a vague agreeing sound in his throat, interested to hear about a different part of Valerian’s life. 

“I didn’t really get along with her party. The gladiator and the conjurer were dating-- ah, that’s usually a bad sign. And they were arguing, which was even worse. But.. I didn’t know enough to step in. So I went and cleared out Satasha-- thought that was the end of it. And it was, for me. But we met again after Tam-Tara, and the conjurer was all kinds of messed up. Her boyfriend had died down in the depths.... It’s a common risk.” 

Valerian pauses, swallowing.

Thancred squints at the grave’s name, heart sinking as he starts to connect the dots. 

“Did she--” 

_Kill herself?_

Valerian shakes his head. 

“No, no-- ah, this grave belongs to the archer of the party. Sorry, this is a bit of a grim story. You’ve met her, Thancred. She died in the Waking Sands. Joined up after their party dissolved, you know.” 

Thancred goes cold. 

“Yeah. So, I helped bury her here--” Valerian stops, tilts his head. “This story sounds worse out loud. Sorry, did you need something?” 

His head begins to shake before he really even processes the sentence. 

“No,” he gets out, surprised by the intensity of his own voice. “I want to hear this.” 

Valerian nods. 

“Right. So I helped bury her-- I had to tell the priests everyone’s name, because I was the only Scion around, and that was the end of it. At least, I thought it was. But I ran into the thaumaturge of the party later.. He knew me, of course, we run in the same circles in Ul’dah. And he’d received a wedding invitation... from the healer. She was marrying her boyfriend.” 

“Congratulations,” Thancred says, dread pooling in his stomach. 

“Mmhm. The lalafell told me that the invitation was back to Tam-Tara-- ah, I forgot you don’t go to the Shroud. Tam-Tara’s a burial site, it’s infested with voidsent and reanimated corpses. And he said--” Valerian pauses, brushing his hand along the grave. “He wanted to check in, because the last he’d known the archer, she’d been working with me.” 

This story is genuinely horrifying, but what’s worse is Valerian’s light, absent tone. 

“But she was dead, right. So we came back here to check, and found her grave empty.” Valerian shakes his head, eyes far distant. “This story is really too long. Well, I headed down to Tam-Tara, and helped retrieve the archer’s reanimated corpse for re-burial.” 

“That’s it?” Thancred asks. 

“Mm..” Valerian shudders slightly. “Well, I wouldn’t recommend heading back down to Tam-Tara, if I were you. But yes, that’s it.” 

It feels like Valerian’s given him the chance to look past the surface, has peeled back his outermost layer to give Thancred the smallest glimpse of what lies behind that-- but Thancred knows this song and dance all too well. People like him, like Valerian-- they don’t just have two layers. They’re full of stories, of small and big things each buried under the next small tragedy, until all of their anecdotes start blending and bleeding into each other. 

Bandages on top of bandages. 

“Valerian--” Thancred starts, then finds he has nowhere to go with that sentence. He falls silent, trying to find-- some way to comfort the strongest man he knows. Lousioix had-- he doesn’t have a lot of memories of how to do this. Tentatively, Thancred reaches a hand out, settling it awkwardly on Valerian’s shoulder. 

Valerian smiles at him. 

“You’re very sweet, Thancred.” 

“That’s not... what most people tend to say about me,” Thancred manages. 

“How strange. Maybe you’re not as sweet to them...?” 

Is Valerian.. Flirting with him? Now? _Here?_

“I’m afraid I haven’t been very sweet to anyone lately,” Thancred admits, his hand starting to feel hot where it remains on Valerian’s skin. “I was busy.. And then. Well. You know.” 

“Lahabrea,” Valerian says, nodding. “I was terrified, when I didn’t see you in my vision. You weren’t among the dead, but I hadn’t seen you taken prisoner, either...” The elezen turns his head to look at Thancred. “Maybe he’d already taken you when he laughed at me in the Shroud.. I don’t really know.” 

“I don’t remember.. Much,” Thancred says, voice stiff. 

It doesn’t phase Valerian. 

“I don’t think Ascian robes suit you. And I missed your choker.” 

“...Thanks.” The word sounds a bit... strangled. “Well. That’s back now, at least.” 

Valerian laughs, tension in his back releasing as he moves a little, scooting over so he can lean against Thancred. Ah... he’s lighter than Thancred expected. 

“I was confident we could get you back,” Valerian says, voice slow and lazy. “The possession thing-- I’ve run into that before. My old thaumaturgy teacher once offered his body up to a demon.” 

_“What?”_ Thancred tries to keep his voice under control. 

“His little brother had gotten possessed, so he told the voidsent that it could have him-- could eat all the aether in his body-- as long as it let his brother go. And voidsent love aether, it’s their hunger that drives them. So it jumped. Mm.. it was pretty risky, because we had to defeat the demon without killing him, while it had access to all of his magic.” 

Valerian’s voice is entrancing to listen to. 

“We worked it out. My teacher nearly died anyway though-- lack of aether can kill anyone, let alone an archmage.” 

Thancred imagines the demon jumping to Valerian. 

“So I figured-- if Hydelain doesn’t help, then I’ve still got options. Lahabrea possessed you for your knowledge, not your arcane aptitude-- ah, sorry Thancred.” 

“No, I know my specialties.” 

“And you’re very skilled at them, it’s quite impressive. But Lahabrea is an arcane specialist, which must have sucked for him.” Valerian’s head drops to rest on Thancred’s shoulder. “If Hydelain hadn’t interfered, he’d have abandoned you for someone else.” 

“You?” Thancred hears the shake in his voice. 

“No. Blessing of Light, remember? Not me. Someone else.” Valerian snickers. “Van Baelsar, maybe? That would have been funny.” 

Only to Valerian. 

“I’m glad you would have been safe.” 

“Hm?” Valerian blinks up at him, and smiles. “You really are sweet. Hey, Thancred?” 

Something coils in his gut, pure terror striking through him. 

“Valerian?” 

“I’m glad I joined the Scions.” Valerian’s eyes slide closed, lips curved into a small smile. “Oh, one other thing. I missed my chance to kiss you, since you fell unconscious right after I kicked him out. Can I make up for that?” 

Everything freezes, screeching to a halt inside of Thancred’s brain.


	5. Quest Five: West of the Sun, East of the Moon

He’s always thought Thancred looked cute when he was surprised. The first letter he’d sent home talking about him, his mother had spent the time to make sure her returning letter was more than half carefully written out phonetic laughter. _Cute? Hah. We’ll see if he’s still cute when I’m through with him._ She liked to write that kind of thing. 

The other half was a threat that she’d track him down if he didn’t come home for a visit soon. 

He hoped she and Thancred would get along. 

The thoughts drift through his head, slow and patient while he waits for Thancred’s response. He hopes... he hasn’t been misreading things? He lifts his head off of Thancred’ shoulder so he can get a better look into the man’s eyes, even though that’s never helped him before. 

“Valerian?” Thancred repeats, a dazed look in his pretty brown eyes. 

“We don’t have to,” Valerian says, a little tired. There was nothing more exhausting than being wrong about things you wanted to be right about. 

“No-- I mean--” Valerian can feel the shift beneath Thancred’s skin as he swallows. “I-- not to speak obvious truths, but--” 

There’s an odd catch in Thancred’s voice. 

“You shouldn’t....sleep with me just because you’re sad.” 

Valerian blinks. 

“I usually sleep with people because they make me happy,” He points out. 

“I make you _happy?_ ” Thancred’s tone is incredulous. 

“Mm.” Valerian nods. “Very happy. You’re a very charming man, Thancred Waters.” 

“I must needs inform you that many people have said that of me, without ever implying happiness.” 

That’s what’s fun about Thancred, though. Val smiles against his shoulder, the quiet fondness that is his serenity stirring into a more proactive joy. 

“I missed your voice.” Valerian casually reaches up to tap Thancred’s throat. “Do you remember? The first time we were in Drybone.” 

He can feel the way Thancred’s throat moves as he speaks. It’s soothing. Valerian isn’t used to being so forward-- hasn’t gone to this much effort in ages. But he’s not doing anything urgent right now.. And it’s nice to do the things he wants to do. 

“Vividly.” Thancred says. 

“Mm. It was very memorable... I think I got my tattoo here a while ago, actually. That bar seemed kind of familiar.” But that had been before the Calamity, so who knew. “Sorry, I get easily sidetracked.” 

Thancred is looking at him with wide eyes. 

Valerian pauses, trying to regather his thoughts. “That wasn’t what I meant to say... Right.” He clears his throat. 

“Thancred Waters...” He always likes saying Thancred’s full name. It’s pretty. “I would love to take you out dancing. Or drinking. Or star gazing or to just walk around Ul’dah, since that seems to be what you do for fun. Is that okay?” 

He can feel Thancred’s shoulder begin to shake. Is he laughing? Crying? Something else?

“Valerian--” Thancred starts speaking, then stops himself. “Valerian.” His voice is tinged with a raw sort of longing, the rasp of his damaged vocal chords only adding to the intensity of the effect. 

“Wherever you disappear to, I’ll find you,” Valerian continues, reckless with his chance. “I’ll go to Minfillia, ask her permission to--” 

“ _Please_ , don’t.” Thancred’s arm finally settles around Valerian’s shoulders, heavy with immediate restraint. “Do not do that, if you l- if you like me at all. I would never live it down.” 

Valerian doesn’t see the problem. 

“So... ?” 

“Yes,” Thancred says, finally. “Of course yes, Valerian. I like to think I specialize in grasping at things beyond my means, though I don’t know if I’ve ever reached this high.” 

“I like that you’re short,” Valerian says. “I can rest my chin on your head.” 

Thancred groans. 

“Not to deny myself the dulcet tones of your voice, but are you going to be-- I mean, is this how you-- no, I can’t say this. Even I’m not that much of a hypocrite.” 

“Your compliments are sweet,” He likes that they’re long and kind of silly. “Have you found more things that are beautiful and purple? My favorite purple things are the glowing crystals in Northern Thanalan, the sky in Mor Dhona when it's all hazy, and the void tinged swirl right when a portal closes.” 

“I do have a favorite thing that’s purple,” Thancred says. 

“That’s good.” Valerian straightens up, preparing to get up onto his feet only to have Thancred’s hand grip tighter on his shoulder. 

“Thancred..?” 

“Leaving so soon?” Thancred asks, tiping his head to look at Valerian. There’s a strange note of vulnerability in his eyes, like now that he’s agreed to date him, he expects Valerian to dismiss it all as a cruel prank. 

Valerian catches his hand, and pulls it so that he can plant a kiss on Thancred’s wrist. 

“I do have limits on my willingness to perform for the dead, Thancred,” he says. “There’s not much dancing to be had in Drybone, but there is definitely a bar and an inn.” 

He hasn’t let go of Thancred’s wrist. 

“You take all the fun out of showing someone around town,” Thancred sighs, finally standing up to walk beside Valerian as they wind their way through the scattered graves. “I’ll take you to Limsa-- surely you haven’t already managed to befriend every back alley rat in that mess.” 

“Limsa Lominsa?” Valerian slips his hand into Thancreds. “Oh, is that where you’re from?” 

“If I’m from anywhere.” Thancred’s voice grows short and clipped. 

It doesn’t stop Val from beaming, though. 

“I actually mostly only know the people in the Arcanist’s Guild-- ah, Mealvaan’s Gate? Do you know them?” 

“The customs people? I wouldn’t say that I’ve met them. You know me-- I like to hang with the rougher crowd.” 

“Yes, you like it rough. So, that’s great! You can introduce me to a whole different side of Limsa!” 

“Yes, I--” Thancred pauses, and then chokes on the rest of his sentence. “Valerian.” 

“Hm?” 

“You can’t just--” 

Valerian doesn’t know what he’s talking about. 

“Never mind. Um. Valerian, did you have any other requests of me? I am at your service for the day, after all.” 

Valerian nods, cheerful. 

“I’d like to make up for not trying to see if a kiss could break body possession. Can I kiss you, Thancred?” 

From his standing height, he can watch the tips of Thancred’s ears turn red through the light white of his hair. It’s quite the treat. 

“You’re so forward, and yet so restrained at the same time,” Thancred murmurs, the disbelief in his tone eroding away into a sweet fondness. 

Valerian waits. 

“Yes,” Thancred says, finally. “Gods damn it, Valerian. Of course you can.” 

It’s a sweet taste, Valerian thinks. It’s a sweet victory. 

♬♬♫Quest Complete!♪♩♫♪

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the final chapter, written from Val's perspective! Thank you so much to everyone who's read and commented. If you like Val/ my ff14 content/my writing, I post E rated work under a different pseud, razthelin.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! please comment I love to hear from people : )


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